MANILA - Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao has entered another list that ranks powerhouse celebrities, further cementing his status as a global sports icon.
But this time, Pacquiao ranked higher than the likes of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Tiger Woods in the 2009 AskMen.com Top 49 Most Influential Men.
The world’s best pound-for-pound fighter took the No. 24 spot after gaining an overall score of 82.1. He received a score of 86.2 from the fans and 77.9 from the AskMen.com editors.
“I am humbled and honored to have been selected as one of 2009's Top 49 Most Influential Men,” said Pacquiao in a statement posted on AskMen.com. “It's incredible to be included among such an esteemed list.”
Pacquiao’s second-round knockout of Britain’s Ricky Hatton last May 2 was given special mention in the Filipino boxer’s page in the online magazine list.
“We generally aren’t intimidated by guys who are 5-foot-6 and 130 pounds, but Manny Pacquiao is a definite exception,” stated AskMen.com.
“The People’s Champ” was earlier named the No. 22 most influential person in the world in Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People.”
He was also in the “Forbes Celebrity 100” which listed the most powerful celebrities in the world. He was ranked 57th.
Moreover, he was part of “The World's Highest-Paid Athletes” list of Forbes Magazine where he was tied for the No. 6 spot ($40 million) with James and golfer Phil Mickelson.
Honor
Aside from Pacquiao, NBA superstar Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers said he was honored to be included in the list.
“I would like to thank all the AskMen.com readers for voting for me,” he added.
Bryant occupied the 33rd spot while NBA MVP James ranked 42nd.
Tiger Woods, the first athlete to earn $1 billion, was at No. 30.
Other athletes who ranked lower than Pacquiao include Lance Armstrong (No. 49), Jenson Button (No. 48), Dwyane Wade (No. 43), Andy Roddick (No. 35) and Cristiano Ronaldo (No. 28).
Roger Federer and Usain Bolt, meantime, ranked higher than Pacquiao at No. 8 and No. 2, respectively.
Meanwhile, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White, was at the 10th spot while mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Georges St-Pierre was voted the No. 36 most influential man.
Greatest impact
According to AskMen.com, this year’s list is composed of “men who had the greatest impact on how other men behave, dress, buy, and think.”
The readers voted for the men who influenced them the most from about 200 candidates. AskMen.com averaged out the over 500,000 votes with the ratings of its staff.
This year’s list was topped by Don Draper, the protagonist of television series “Mad Men.”
Other entrants who made it to the list came from entertainment, technology and politics. US President Barack Obama, the 2008 most influential man, was ranked third.
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